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 "Photo: The Phoenix/Sarah Rogers")
 "Photo: The Phoenix/Sarah Rogers")
The disaster of Hurricane Katrina has been brought to the stage by Loyola University Chicago’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Thursday marked the Midwest premiere of the docu-drama Katrina: The K Word in Mullady Theatre. This work, written by playwrights Lisa Brenner and Suzanne Trauth, attempts to bring the devastation of the hurricane closer to the audience to give them a more personal view of what happened in New Orleans during the summer of 2005. While the audience is able to hear more stories about life surrounding the hurricane, there are no real emotional upheavals or revelations about the hurricane that will surprise viewers.
Katrina: The K Word is a compilation and combination of interviews conducted by the two playwrights, so the entire script consists of actual words from New Orleans residents who survived the storm. Characters share their stories, from packing for evacuation, losing communication, living through the abhorrent conditions at the Superdome and going through the shock of returning home for the first time. Although they are lamentable, the anecdotes have all been told before. These interview segments are presented to the audience in separate vignettes coming from characters of different races, ages and socioeconomic classes. None of the characters are ever referenced by name, so the audience recognizes them by their vignettes. However, several characters’ specific storylines are unclear and consequently unmemorable.
Although the actual script and story are not as moving as expected, the performances of the actors and actresses are worth seeing. Directed by Ann M. Shanahan, Ph.D, an assistant professor of theatre at Loyola, the opening scene immerses the audience into the homely southern atmosphere of New Orleans. Characters animatedly start telling their stories, mentioning that at first word of the storm nobody really panicked because storms come through there every year. However, once they begin to explain the realization of the severity of the storm the 12 Loyola student actors effectively transform their characters’ energy from warm and inviting to worried and agitated.
The characters speak directly to the audience, effectively breaking down the fourth wall that separates the audience from the actors on stage. The only props for the majority of the production are the chairs on which the characters sit to tell their story. The mobility of the chairs allows them to assemble into different formations to help the audience visualize different situations, such as cars during the evacuation and desks in a classroom. While describing the breaking levees, the true cause of the excessive flooding, the cast constructs a makeshift levee using the chairs, adequately illustrating the system for those who may not be familiar with it. Another innovative use of props emerges when random debris is scattered across the stage slowly and morbidly rises to portray the rising waters in the city.
As all these stories weave together, the similarities between the characters’ experiences become more evident. While all the circumstances differ in the details, the main struggle remains constant. Everybody feels the strain and stress of leaving home, keeping friends and family close and worrying about the future. Even through all the disaster and destruction, the people of New Orleans still have hope. The end of the work brings the audience back to the cultural swing of this celebrated city, allowing the audience to leave the theatre with a shared sense of optimism.
Katrina: The K Word will run until Feb. 21 in the Kathleen Mullady Theatre, located at 1125 W. Loyola Ave. in CFSU. General admission is $15, but Loyola student tickets are $6 with an I.D.
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